On Aug 17, 2006, at 2:00 AM,Sukie wrote:
>Hey, do any list members have a definition of polifinos?
 
I think he meant "polyphenols".  My Italian dictionary gave me poli=poly;
the fino/phenol part is a guess from the following:
 
This from Jonathan Sciabica on his Q&A:
"In general the stronger (fall pressings) last longer than the lighter
(winter and spring) pressings.  This is due to the level of polifinos
in the oil.  Polifinos give olive oil a "bite" and also act as a natural
perservative."
 
and this from the CA olive oil pages http://www.oliveoilsource.com/
definitions.htm (fun source for olive info)
 
 "Fall Harvest Olive Oil:
 
 Olives reach their full size in the fall but may not fully ripen from
 green to black until late winter.  Green olives have slightly less
 oil, more bitterness and can be higher in polyphenols.  The oil tends
 to be more expensive because it takes more olives to make a bottle of
 oil.
 
 Many people like the peppery and bitter quality of early harvest oil.
 Flavor notes of grass, green, green leaf, pungent, astringent are
 used to describe early harvest fall oils.
 
 Because of the higher polyphenols and antioxidants, early harvest
 oils often have a longer shelf life and are blended with late
 harvest oils to improve their shelf life."
 
BTW, I've tried to "cut" ferretone with various other oils.  Flax seed
(linseed) oil, hemp oil, olive oil -- some of the kids think it's just
fine (and that gives me a respite when we run low on ferretone).  But
others won't be so easily placated.  Ferretone is made from soybean
oil and codliver oil.  Maybe the "bite" of codliver oil is not from the
fishy smell but from polyphenols, and that might be why your kids like
the fancy/expensive fall-pressed olive oil.
 
Claire
Research-R-Us :)
[Posted in FML issue 5338]